We all know that the key to healthy eating is enjoying a wide variety of food in moderation, so why do these old chestnuts keep popping up when they're not true? Share your favourite diet myths via the comments tool below.
1.
Losing weight is just a matter of willpower.
2.
All overweight people eat too much.
3.
It doesn't matter what you eat as long, as you exercise regularly.
4.
Eating carbohydrates after 6pm makes you gain weight.
5.
If you eat smaller portions, you'll lose weight, even if they contain the same amount of kilojoules.
6.
If you take vitamin supplements, you don't need to eat fruit and vegetables.
7.
Certain foods or food groups react when eaten together to create a special "fat-burning" ingredient.
8.
Drinking two litres of water a day helps you lose weight.
9.
Carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta and bread, are fattening.
10.
If you splurge on a piece of cake, you may as well give up watching what you eat for the rest of the day.
11.
Dairy products are fattening, cause asthma and should be avoided.
12.
Eating only certain types of food, such as cabbage or grapefruit, will help you lose weight.
13.
Fat and kilojoules are the same thing.
14.
Giving in to cravings makes you a "weak" person.
15.
Alcohol, sugar and fat are all forbidden when you're trying to lose weight.
16.
Skipping meals will help you lose weight.
17.
If you stick to your diet, you don't need to exercise.
18.
Certain diets can help you lose weight from specific parts of your body, such as your waist or thighs.
19.
Muscle turns to fat if you stop exercising.
20.
There are no kilojoules in broken biscuits.
21.
The only way to lose weight is to buy lots of expensive dieting products and pills.
22.
Alcohol is low in kilojoules; it's just the mixers that have kilojoules.
23.
You can drink as much fruit juice as you like without gaining weight because it's a natural product.
24.
If a product is 50 percent fat-reduced, you can eat twice as much.
25.
You need to exercise continuously for one hour to reap the benefits.
26.
A can of diet soft drink and a piece of chocolate mud cake is a balanced meal.
27.
Your blood type determines your body type.
28.
Fasting not only detoxes your body, it also helps you lose weight in the long run.
29.
Butter has more kilojoules than margarine.
30.
All fat is bad for you.
31.
Red meat is fattening.
32.
Drinking water during the day makes you retain fluid and feel bloated.
33.
Crash-dieting helps you keep weight off long term.
34.
"Celebrity" diets are nutritionally balanced and healthy.
35.
Losing weight on a celebrity diet will make you look like a celebrity.
36.
Snacking between meals is always a bad idea.
37.
If someone is on TV talking about food or dieting, they must know what they're talking about.
38.
Dining out is a no-no when you're trying to lose weight.
39.
It's impossible to find healthy take-away.
40.
A "liquid" dinner followed by two paracetamol the next morning doesn't count.
41.
All foods labelled "lite" must be good for you.
42.
People are big-boned, not overweight.
43.
You can't find a diet to overcome genetics.
44.
Eating from someone else's plate reduces the kilojoules by half.
45.
Drinking more coffee increases weight loss.
46.
All food at health food stores is healthy.
47.
Carob tastes just as good as chocolate.
48.
Because sorbet has less fat than ice-cream, you can eat more of it.
49.
Skipping breakfast helps you lose weight.
50.
Eating while exercising increases the amount of fat burned.
How to lose weight safely and successfully:
- Move more.
- Go for quality, not quantity.
- Enjoy more fruit and vegetables, bread, cereals, legumes, rice and pasta (including wholegrains).
- Accept that there is no miracle diet.
- Make gradual, realistic changes to your eating and exercise habits.
